Improvement in printing-telegraph apparatus



I. I. POPE 8: T. A, EDISON. PRINTING TELEGRAPH APPARATUS.

Patented Apr, 26. 1870.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. POPE, or ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, AN-D THOMAS A. EDISON, OF NEWYORK, N; Y.

IMPROVEMENT 'IN PRINTING- TELEGRAPH APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 102,320, dated .April26, 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK L. POP-E, of

Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of I New Jersey, and THOMASA. EDISON, of the city, county, and State of New York,.have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Printing-Telegraphs; and wehereby declare that the following is a full, clear. and exactdescription of the same, reference being had tothe accompanyingdrawings, which form .part'of this specification.

The nature of this invention consists in so arranging the parts of atelegraphic printing apparatus that the same is not only capable ofreceiving and recording communications in automaticallyprintedcharacters at a much greater speed than has been found practicable bythe instruments in common use, but the same result is accomplished bythe use of one is a detached view, showing the details of the escapementin Said apparatus. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the slotted presser; andFig.6 is a skeleton diagram, showing the arrangement'ot' anumber ofinstruments located at different stations and placed in the sameelectrical circuit operated simultaneously in unison by a battery placedat one point in the circuit.

Similar letters refer to like parts in the dif ferent figures.

E, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, designates a perpendicw lar electro-magnetcomposed of two, cores of soft iron united below in the ordinary mannerby a cross-bar, 6, also of-soft iron. The north pole of an angular-bentpermanent magnet, N

S, is screwed to the cross-bar e, to which it communicates northpolarity beyond the point of contact, and also to both the cores andpoles of the lectro-magnet E. The soft-iron tongue 0 is supported upon apivot, a, in a slot, b,*in the south end S of the permanent magnet N S,being secured in position by a screw, 0, or otherwise,from which itreceives south polarity.

The tongue. 0 is so placed that it may vibrate in a lateral directionbetween the north poles N and N of the electro-magnet E. It willtherefore be seen that the north polarized ends N' and N will each exertan equal attraction upon the south polarized tongue Owhen the same isequidistant from each, and that the Same will be attracted and firmlyheld by either N or N" when placed in close proximity or contact withone or the other. An arm, D, projects from the end of the tongue 0,passing between screw-stops d and d, by means of which screw-stops itslateral vibration is controlled and limited. The arm D is constructed ofbrass or other non-magnetic metal, in order to prevent the inductivemagnetic action from extending beyond the poles N N of the electromagnetE. v

' Thelscrcw-stops d and d are supported by a br'ass standard, A Uponthis standard is secured a shaft, f, Fig. 4, upon which is arranged asleeve, g, carrying a ratchet-wheel,

H, and a type-wheel, T, upon the circumference of which type-wheel areengraved such letters, numerals, or other characters as may be required.

The characters on the type wheel are supplied with ink by means of afountain inkroller, 1, secured to a movable arm attached to the standardA.

' The-vibrating arm D carries a curved bar,

F, to theextremities of which are pivoted pawls h and h, which actrespectively at opposite points upon the circumference 0 f theratchet-wheel H, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The movement of said pawls,and consequently that of the wheel H,-is.limited by the adjustablescrew-stopsi t" by the end of the said pawls falling in the spaces ofthe wheel H, and its upper beveled edge subsequently coming in contactwith the'stop 13 or i, which may be adjusted so-as to allow of anydesired amount of movement of the said pawls h and h and the pawls arekept in contact with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel'by springs jj; butwe will here remark that the pawls h and-h may be made of spring-steeland so arranged as to automaticall y bear in the interdental spaces ofthe wheel I, in which case the Springs j 9" may of course be dispensedwith.

By means of the above-described arrange.

ment the vibrations of the arm may be caused to communicate through thepawls a tac with the stop t".

paw It will slip over one tooth of the wheel v rapid inter inittentrotary motion to the ratchetwheel H, sleeve 9, and type-wheel T in thedirection shown by the arrow marked thereon.

The screw-stops d d are so adjusted in reference to the stops t' t thatwhen the tongue 0 is actuated by a powerful current tending to benderotherwise disarrange the pawls h h, ratchet-wheel H, and theirappurtenances the slightest deflection of the arm D, after-the pawls hor it have come in contact with the stop s ior i, will brin'g'sa-illar'ni'D against one of the. stops at or (1, thereby relieving saidpawls, ratchet-wheel, 860., from undue'strain or pressure.

' The manner in which the vibration of the tongue 0 and arm D is malleto revolve the ratchet wheel H will be understoodmore clearly byreference to Fig. 4. Suppose the arm- 0'! to be moved from its position,as shown, to'-' ward the left, carrying with it the bar F and the pawlsh h. The pawl 71. will engage with a tooth of the wheel H and carry itforward in the direction of the arrow until its move ment is arrested bythe pawl coming in con At the same time the without obstruction. Whenthe arm D, bar F, and pawls h h are movedfrom left to right, theoperation of the respective pawls is reversed, although the wheelHcontinues to be moved inthe same direction as before. Each vibrationofthe-arm'D ei-ther to the left or to the right, therefore advances theratchet-wheel H the distance of one tooth.

The apparatus for taking theimpre'ssion after the type-wheel has beenbrought to the desired position may be described as follows:

M, Figs. lrand 3,is an electro-magnet of the usual form, its poles beingunited by the crossbar at, which is secured to 2. lug, K. Thislug isfirmly secured to the south end S of the permanent magnet N S. This lugis made of brass,or any other non-magnetic metal, for the purpose ofcuttin'g'otf the magnetic induction whichwould otherwise take placebetween the permanent magnet N S and the soft-iron cores of theelectro-magnet M. The armature Z. of said electro-magnetis attached to alever, L, one end of which is pivoted at O, and which passes through aslot in the standard A; The

lever L is capable of a vertical movement upon O as its fulcrum, thcextent of such movement 'being' limited'in one direction'by the-*facenfthe type-wheel T and in the other by the-"ad justable screw-stop n.

- To the extremity of the lever Lis attacheda slotted adjustablestandard, 19, carrying a wheel, q, with a sharp serrated edge. Upon thesame shaft with said wheel qis a ratchetwheel, r, actuated by. ahook-shaped pawl, ,3, attached to the extremity of the type-wheel shaftf. Aroller, t, of hard rubber or other suitable material, is mountedupon a spring-axle, u, in such a manner as to be pressed tirmly.

' against the serrated edge of the wheel q.

A ribbon of paper (not shown in the drawings) may be made to passhorizontally across the lever L and beneath the slotted presser Y Q,(shown in plan in Fig. 5,) the edge of said paper passing between theserrated wheel q and the roller t in such a manner that the rotation ofthe wheel q will cause the ribbon to be drawn forward from rightto,left.

The slotted pr. sser Q serves to keep the paper fromcoming in contactwith any portion of the type-wheel except the letterof which theimpression is desired.

The two electro-magnets E and are placed 4 in the same electricalcircuit, the connections being arranged as shown in Fig. 3.

The manner in which the above-described apparatus is actuated by meansof electriccurrents is as follows: If a momentary current of electricitybe sent from the positive pole of a battery through the electro-magnetsE and M,

its tendency would be to magnctize the pole N of the electro-magnet Enorth and the pole N south; butas both poles were previously northbythei nductive influence of the pernia nent magnetNS, the effect ofthis current is tov strengthen the'north magnetism of)? and to weaken orentirely destroy that of N. The tongue 0 is therefore attracted to Nwith double force, andremains' on that side after the cessation of thecurrent, being'still attracted by the pole'N", whose distance from O isnow much less than tllat'of N. If now a momentary' n'egative current issent, this eflect is reversed.- The pole N in turn attracts the tongue,andit moves that side, remaining until the polarity of theexciting-current is again changed. Thus, by transmitting through thehelices of the electro-magnet E a rapidly-alternating series of positiveand negative currents, it will readily be seen that the tongue 0, thearm D, and its attachments may be caused-to vibrate to and fro withgreat rapidity, causing a correspondingly rapid revolution of theratchet-wheel -H and type-wheel T. It will be seen, therefore, thatthetype-wheel L may readily be brought to any required position, simplyby transmitting the requisite number .of alternate positive and negativecurrents through the electro magnet E- When the type-wheel '1 is thusbrought to its proper position-the impression of the required letter istaken from the wheel as follows:

The-'electro-magnet' M, as heretofore explained, is :in the sameelectrical circuitiwith "E." Inoperat-iag-said--e1ectro-magnet advan-.

tage i'stak'en' of the fact that currents of such, short duration as notto sensibly affect an electro-m'agnet-bf the ordinary construction willoperate perfectly a polarized or combination magnet composed ofpermanent and electro magnets placed in conjunction, and also that theattractive force of an ordinary electro-magnet is the same whatever maybe the polarity of the exciting-curren t Therefore a succession ofpositive and negative-currents may be sent through the wire 1 2 3, Figs.1 and 3, of such short duration as not to afl'ect in .any manner.

= tion.

the electro-magnet .1, while by the action of the polarizedelectro-magnetE the type-wheel Tjna'y be revolveduntil the desiredletter 1 upon its circumference is brought opposite the impression-leverL. The duration of the final current is then prolonged regardless of itspotype uponthe wheel T, the samehaving been previously inked by thefountainroller 1.

When the attraction of theelectro-magi et M ceases the lever L returnsto its original posi-' At the same time the hooked pawl s catches atooth of the ratchet-wheel r and causes it, together with the wheel q,to revolve a short distance, thus drawing thepaper ribbon forward andleaving a clear space in readiness for the next impression. A click, as,prevents the ratchet-wheel r, and consequently the wheel g, fromrevolving in' the opposite direction.

The downward movement of the lever L may be assisted by aretracting-spring, it'necessarv.

It will be seen from the above description that this apparatus isactuated entirely by electro-magnetic power derived from the battery atthe transmitting-station, withoutthe assistance of local or secondarybatteries or of mechanical power derived from any source other thanthesaid battery at the said transmitting- .station,and that any requirednumber of such apparatuses may be placed at various points included inthe same electric circuit, and operated simultaneously in unison by theaction of a single battery placed at thetransmitting-station. This willbe more clearly understood by reference to Fig. 6,where we have given askeleton diagram illustrating an arrangement of instruments inconnectionwith a main battery and circuit-breaker, whereby an operatorcan i at one point form a connection with a main battery, so as tocomplete an electric circuit in such manner that the current of saidbattery shall pass through as many instruments on a main line unprovidedwith local batteries as desired, and record simultaneously in printedcharacters at each instrument the same message. For in stance, at apoint lettered X- there may be located a circuit-breaker of any suitableconstruction, and at the point lettered Y a main battery of sufficientpower, or in lieu thereot anumberof small main batteries located at suchpoint or elsewhere in the main circuit that a current may be causedto-pass from the main battery or batteries through the electro-magnetsof instruments I II III, 800. Hence it will be understood withoutfurther explanation that a communication may be printed simultaneouslyat as many ditt'erent stations as may be desired without the use oflocal batteries or of mechanism-such, for instance, as weights orsprings-for operating each instrument. In such cases the action of such"local batteries or mechanism is simply controlled by the'action of themain electrical circuit.

- It is obvious that another electro-magnet can be placed in the samecircuit for etfecting other useful purposes.suchas striking a bell tocall attention, &c.--which may be actuated by increasing the strength ofthe electric current which operates the printinginechanism.

It is also obvious that a local battery may be employed to bring intoaction a magnet not in the same circuit by insulating one of the stopsat d upon the standard A and connecting it with the local circuit insuch mminer ,t liat the rapid vibrations of the arm D will not allow itto remain in contact with the stop long enough to permit the local orsecondary battery to charge its electro-magtret; but when the vibrationsare made to cease by the action of the transmitting-operator, orotherwise, the arm 1) will remain in contact with the stop df asufficient time. to allowthe secondaryelectro-magnet to become charged.

We do not confine ourselves to the particular form and arrangement ofparts shown in thedrawing. There are numerous and wellknown means ofproducing the vibratory movement of a lever by the use of alternatepositive and negative'currents in combination with a permanent and anelectro magnet acting upon each other, and of applying the same to themovement of a type-wheel. Neitherdo we wish to confine ourselves to anyparticular method of producingor transmittin g alternate positive andnegative'currents'for thepurposespecified,

We have shown in Fig. 6 the main line passing through both magnets ofeach instrument, this being the simplest and most convenient way ofoperating; but it is obvious that two main lines or wires may beemployed, one running through one magnet of each instrument and theother through the other magnet of each instrument. In this latter caseone line or wire is worked to revolve the type-wheel in proper positionand the other to cause the impression.

We are aware that it is not new to construct and operate one or moreautomatic printingtelegraph instruments in one or more circuitswhich-derive all their motive power from electro-magnets, or to operatesuch instruments by the use of a single battery placed at someconvenient point, in conjunction with mechanical power. applied to eachinstrument separately. We are also aware that automaticprinting-telegraph instruments have been operated by means of two ormore distinct main circuits, in which case the impression or printingmagnet of each instrument is placed in one of the said circuits, and oneor more magnets for operating the type-wheel of each instrument isplaced in one or more additional main circuits, as. shown and describedin the patent granted to E. A. Oalahan on the 21st of April, 1868.

We believe to be new the arrangement of a. number of automatictelegraphic printing in.

unison, when the electro-motive power used in operating the sa me. isderived exclusively from one or more main batteries placed in such maincircuit without theaid of secondary or local batteries, or of mechanismactuated by'springs or otherwise, substantially in the manner and forthe purpose set forth.

2. The combination of a polarized magnet with an electro-magnetplaeed inthesame electrical circuit, and operated substantially as de-,

scribed, and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the ratchet-wheel I, bar F, pawls h it, stops 1}i, and type-wheel T,

- arranged and operating substantially as and for the purposes hereinspecified.

4. The combination ofan electro-magnet with the ratchet-wheel, bar,pawls, stops, and polarized magnet, substantially as and for thepurposes herein specified.

5; The arrangement of the permanentmagnet-N S, polarized magnet E,electro-magnet 'M, tongue 0, arm D, bar F, pawls h h, stops- M, spring jj ratchet-wheel H, type-wheel T,

and standards A K, all constructed,arrangerl,

'and operating substantiallyas and for the purpose herein specified. I

. 6. The roller t, serrated wheel q,'pawl s, ratchet-wheel r, clickm,and standard p, in combination with the polarized magnetE and theelectro-magnet M, and their appurtenances, forthe purpose set forth.

7. Thefscrewstops d (1 upon the standard A, in combination with thetype-wheel T, substantially as herein specified.

8. The arrangement of the tongue 0 in the slot b of the permanent magnetN S by means of a piyot, a, and screw 0, whereby the inductive magneticinfluence of the permanent magnetN S upon the tongue Ois greatlyincreased,

substantially as herein set forth.

FRANK 'L. POPE.

THOMAS A..EDISON.

Witnesses: e

M. M. LIVINGSTON, T. B. BEEGHER.

